The CPI (Maoist), once a dominant force behind the Red Terror across 10 Indian states, has now been reduced to a fragmented and weakened outfit, with only around 300 armed cadres left. These cadres are scattered across the Dandakarenya region and a few other remote pockets, according to security officials. The organisation’s command structure has suffered a series of sustained blows over the years, particularly targeting its top leadership, which is structured around two apex bodies—the Politburo (PB) and the Central Committee (CC).
The biggest recent setback came with the elimination of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, along with his entire protection team, in an operation by the Chhattisgarh Police. This marked a major turning point, leaving the Politburo with only four active members: Muppalla Laxman Rao (alias Ganapathy), Mallojula Venugopal (alias Abhay), Thippiri Tirupathi (alias Deoji), and Misir Besra. Sources indicate that either Abhay or Deoji—both from Telangana—may step into Basavaraju’s role, although the group has yet to announce a successor officially. While all PB members are part of the CC, the reverse is not true.
The Central Committee has also seen a dramatic decline. Since 2007, 26 non-PB CC members have been lost to arrests, surrenders, or death by illness. Today, the CC consists of only 14 active members, including the four Politburo leaders. An additional dozen CC members are currently incarcerated, and three have died from illness. Four members have surrendered in Telangana and Maharashtra, while seven others have been neutralised since 2007, including four this year.
The currently active CC members include Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy, Chandranna, Modem Balakrishna, Ganesh Uike, Gajarla Ravi, Anal Da, Madvi Hidma, K Ramachandra Reddy, Sujata, and Malla Raja Reddy. According to Bastar IGP Sundarraj P, sustained intelligence-led operations and a wave of surrenders have left the Maoist command in disarray. He noted that the remaining armed cadres, hiding in isolated locations, now face only two options—surrender or elimination.
Despite recent appeals from the CPI (Maoist) for ceasefire and peace talks, no senior PB or CC leader has taken up the security forces’ offer to surrender. Officials speculate that ego may be a key factor preventing this.
The erosion of the Politburo began in 2005 with the arrest of Sushil Roy in West Bengal. Between 2008 and 2011, other PB members like Pramod Mishra (arrested in Ranchi in 2008 and again in 2022), Kobad Gandhy (arrested in Delhi in 2009 and now released), Amitabh Bagchi (Ranchi, 2009), and Jagdish Yadav (Gaya, 2011) were taken into custody. Baccha Prasad Singh and Bansi Dhar Singh were arrested in Kanpur in 2010. Earlier arrests included Jhantu Mukherjee in 2006 and Narayan Sanyal in 2011—both of whom are now deceased. Kattam Sudarshan died in Dandakarenya in 2023. PB members Cherkuri Rajkumar (alias Azad) and Kishenji were killed in 2010 and 2011, respectively, while Arvindji died from illness in 2018. Prashant Bose (alias Kishan Da) and his wife Sheela Marandi, a CC member, were arrested in Jharkhand in 2021.
Among the arrested CC members over the years are Mithilesh Mehta (2007 and again in 2022), Vishnu (Mumbai, 2007), Moti Lal Soren (Odisha, 2009), Pradeep Singla (2009), Vijay Kumar Arya (2011 and again in 2022), and Varanasi Subrahmanyam (Bihar, 2011). More recently, Sheela Marandi was apprehended in 2021, B V Krishna Murthy in Kerala in 2022, Kanchan Da in Bengal in 2024, and Sanjay Deepak Rao in Hyderabad in 2023.
With the once-formidable leadership structure now decimated, the CPI (Maoist) is a shadow of its former self, left with dwindling manpower and a fractured command, teetering on the edge of collapse.
